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November 29, 2014

Easy Holiday Appetizer: Salmon Cucumber Canapés

If you can slice a cucumber, you can make this delicious twist on the classic party appetizer. With the help of a zesting tool and a pastry bag, you can take the presentation to the next level. To really wow your guests, you can even cure your own salmon. It's easier than you probably think. My Culinary Arts students made these for a school board meeting a few weeks ago. Add them to your sophisticated entertaining repertoire...

Salmon Cucumber Canapes

Makes approx. 48

2 Slicing Cucumbers (not English) these are the ones most commonly found in grocery stores with the dark green skin.

Step 1: Cut the ends off of the cucumbers. Use the single blade side of your citrus zester to create eight evenly spaced stripes down each cucumber (from top to bottom). Slice cucumbers into 1/3" disks (we used a mandoline for perfectly uniform slices).

Place cucumber slices on a serving platter.

Step 2: With an electric mixer, whisk together cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe on to cucumber slices.

Step 3: Top with a small piece of cured salmon and garnish with two pieces of criss-crossed chive. Serve.

Tip: The cucumbers can be sliced up to a day in advanced and stored in a ziploc bag. The cream cheese mixture can be prepared in advance and stored in the pastry bag so all you have to do is assemble on the day of your event.

Cure Your Own Salmon -- Store-bought lox is good, but pales in comparison to homemade. For our citrus cured salmon, my students used a recipe from Michael Rhulman (via Martha Stewart). This recipe is foolproof -- we've used it several times and the salmon always comes out perfect. All you need is fresh salmon, citrus zest, salt, and 32 hours. We prepare our salmon in the morning and it's ready to serve the next evening.